Complications
by Aesop
Summary: Gargoyles 6.  Hunter has a problem.  His allies are not sure they can trust him.


COMPLICATIONS

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters, and I don't profit by this in any way. The characters in the Gargoyles TV show are owned by Buena Vista and Disney.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is story number six. this story is set one month after the end of Meetings and Consequences. I hope you enjoy it.

"Explain how this works again. And this time don't leave anything out."

Hunter sighed. "Frankly, I thought you would prefer not to know the details."

"Very thoughtful," Maria Chavez responded, deadpan. "Tell me anyway."

Hunter leaned back in his chair. "It's really quite simple. The idea is to get someone else to discover what Malon Inc. is doing with the mutagen. I've selected their New Jersey location because I am almost certain that they are conducting experiments with the mutagen and cloning there. I intend to arrange a raid by several federal law enforcement agencies at that site. They won't exactly be looking for mad scientists and monsters, but that's just as well. We don't want this done quietly." Chavez could only stare at him, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly. "I told you didn't want to know."

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

Her shout brought several people running into the room. Maggie, Sharon, and Hollywood burst in from one door looking alarmed. Talon and Joey came in from the door on the opposite side.

"What's going on?" Joey asked looking around and seeing no emergency. "What's the shouting about?"

"She insisted on knowing my plans for Malon," Hunter answered calmly, completely unruffled by the police captain's outburst.

"Oh," he turned to Chavez. "In that case I think the answer is yes. I thought," he glared at Hunter, "you weren't going to tell her." They all settled around the room, intrigued by the conversation.

"She insisted. Besides, what I'm planning isn't illegal."

"On which planet?" Chavez demanded.

Hunter had to suppress a smile. "Correct me if I'm wrong."

"Oh, I will."

"Alcohol, Tobacco and Fire Arms has jurisdiction when it comes to investigating illegal weapons, such as fully automatic riffles, particle beam weapons and so forth, correct?"

"Yes."

"I know from experience that the guards at these installations are armed with such weapons, and that an installation where such important work is being done will have an armory full of such weapons. Next question: Is the DEA just interested in marijuana, cocaine, and heroin or are they also interested in other types of illegal substances? Like the mutagen?"

"Is that what you intend to tell them when you arrange the raid?"

"Not exactly," he admitted. "I don't think they would respond to well to such a claim. However," he assured her, "they will be told to expect heavy resistance. They'll show up armed to the teeth, expecting a fight."

"Considering what Malon is doing at their labs I think that's a safe bet," Chavez agreed, still fuming. "I still don't like this."

"Can you suggest a better way to proceed?" She had no ready answer to this.

"Maybe," Sharon suggested, "there is a way you could tip the odds in their favor?"

Shaking his head, Hunter replied apologetically. "I'm afraid not. I have to be very careful about how I go about this. I can't leave any tracks. If I've learned anything about Malon, it's that their network of industrial spies is the best around. I used their own intelligence to pick all of my targets so far, and only two of those were Malon facilities. The details I had about each place were absolutely amazing. The raid has to be planned in absolute secrecy or Malon will catch wind of it."

He headed off the next suggestion even as Talon opened his mouth. "And I certainly can't involve any of the gargoyles or mutates. That would be a dead give away. The point of the subterfuge is to distance us from the discovery." Reluctantly Chavez nodded. "There's no safe way to do this, believe me, I wish there were."

It took a little more convincing and reassuring, but they all agreed to what he proposed. Eventually, Hunter was left alone to consider the best way to handle the setup.

Unfortunately, he had, if anything, understated the difficulty in keeping a secret from Malon. After thinking long and hard on the matter he concluded that he needed help if the subterfuge was to be successful. He went to the phone and made a call.

OOOOOOOOOO

TWO DAYS LATER

FBI Field office, New York, NY.

It was the third name on the 'Watch' list that caught Hacker's attention. He stared at it for a moment, unable to place it, then he pulled up another file on his terminal and spent a moment flipping back and forth between them. "I don't believe it." He picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number from memory. "Hello? Mr. Duval? I think I've found him." He listened a moment.

"Yes sir. The name Sherman Tully turned up on a new employee security background check for a company in New Jersey." He listened quietly and considered. "It might be more than that sir. The company is Malon Inc., one of the ones you've had the bureau keep an eye on. We've had little success in infiltrating their upper levels. We've never gotten anyone beyond the level of janitor. He may be working up to something big." Again he stopped to listen and then shook his head. "I don't see how he could know sir. He only started using that alias a month or so ago and has only used it once or twice since. He couldn't know we know it's him." Nodding, Hacker scribbled on a pad next to his terminal. "Yes sir. I'll make the arrangements."

Duval replaced the phone on the hook. "What is he up to now?" The Illuminati had plans of it's own for Malon. Maybe that was why he was there. It wouldn't be the first time an Illuminati project had been ruined by this man. What he was doing at Malon Duval couldn't begin to guess, but he had a nasty suspicion they would find out if it wasn't stopped.

_I don't understand,_ he lamented. _I truly don't_. Whatever his motivations, the man now calling himself Sherman Tully had to be stopped. Duval knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if he chose to 'Tully' could cripple the Illuminati, maybe destroy it. Duval knew this, he just wished he understood why.

OOOOOOOOOO

Hunter led the attack. Diving low he snatched the leader of the gang from his cycle and took him up. The other members of the group looked around in alarm and one lost control of his bike.

"Gargoyles! Shoot 'em!" Felix plucked the spokesman from his seat with one hand and clamped down on the thug's gun hand with the other till the weapon fell to the ground, now twenty feet below.

Soon all four of the robbers were disarmed and deposited on the roof of a small office complex. There was no fire escape and no roof access door, just a three-story drop to the concrete below.

Hunter gestured for his clan to follow as the sound of sirens drew near. The motorcycles and the three-wheeler with the ATM still connected to it by a chain were left in plain view for the police to find.

"Well done," Goliath commented as Hunter, Joey, Magdalena, and Felix landed on the building overlooking the scene. "You have improved since you joined us in our patrols," the gargoyle leader allowed, almost reluctantly.

"Aw, stop it. You'll make me blush." Goliath ignored Felix' sarcasm, he had become used to it over the last two weeks. Instead he turned to the others and nodded.

"Tell me Hunter, are the rest of your endeavors coming together as successfully?"

"I believe so. As I've said before, I have to keep my distance, but I've turned it over to some very capable associates of mine." He allowed himself a smile, for once not bothering to hide his teeth.

OOOOOOOOOO

TWO HOURS EARLIER

"Please join me detective Bluestone." Duval gestured for Bluestone to get into his car.

"I have to go on duty in ten minutes," he answered.

"I've arranged for you to have the night off. Please, get in." Bluestone shot a look toward the precinct house, then climbed in.

"What does the Illuminati want now?" Bluestone asked.

"No need to be rude," Duval reproved gently. "We're not the villains you seem to think us Matt."

Matt looked skeptical. "Martin was right," Duval allowed ruefully. "You are a pain in the ass."

"Really? I didn't know he had such a high opinion of me," he grew serious. "What can I do for the Illuminati tonight Mr. Duval?"

The head of the Illuminati actually blinked at that. "How-?"

"Did I know your name? I'm a detective remember?"

Duval chuckled. "You continue to justify our faith in you. I know now that you are the right one for the job." His face immediately grew serious. "I need you to find someone detective, and there isn't much time."

OOOOOOOOOO

"I grow tired of your evasions and hints," Goliath sighed. "What associates do you mean?"

"You won't like it."

"I already don't like it."

Mentally bracing himself, Hunter said, "the Illuminati are setting up the raid through the FBI. They'll make sure all of the warrants are in place and everything is done nice and legal." Goliath could only stare. "Before you ask," Hunter continued, "I'm not crazy. They were the only ones who could pull it off successfully. Besides, if I'm right and Malon is controlled by a renegade Fay, then the Illuminati may be useful allies in this, even if they don't know it."

"What does that mean precisely?"

"It means I trust them to act in their own best interests." Hunter would say no more on the matter and they eventually continued their patrol. It ended soon though as the tension mounted between the two leaders.

"I trust you Goliath, but Xanatos is Illuminati. I can't take any chances." Goliath accepted this, though he still wasn't happy.

"Perhaps, or perhaps you are merely too fond of secrets." They parted ways, Goliath turned toward Elisa's apartment and Hunter and the others returned to the Labyrinth. The night was still young and both leaders had plans.

"He doesn't trust you," Joey stated flatly, as they glided toward home. He knew Hunter well enough by now to know that the gargoyles' distrust disturbed him.

"I know. I told him all I could, more than I should have in fact. If Xanatos overhears him telling the others"

Joey watched him closely; then something about the whole set up clicked for him. He drew a sharp breath and glided closer. "You don't have as much control over this as you'd like us to believe do you?"

"No." He gave his second-in-command a worried look. "I've taken a big risk by involving the Illuminati. No matter what kind of tricks I can pull out of my hat, someone else always knows better ones, and the Illuminati have been around for centuries. If they tumble to what I'm doing it could get very ugly."

"They're gonna figure it out when the raid turns up Malon's project. What happens then?"

"At that point they're going to get very busy. Besides, once they see what's happening they'll take steps of their own to put a stop to it."

Joey was silent for a moment, regarding his leader and friend closely. "You know a lot more than you're saying. Don't you think the rest of the clan should be aware of this? Geez Hunter, we've followed you into some really ugly situations. Do you think you can't trust us?"

"I trust you and the others completely," Hunter stated sincerely. "In too many ways, this is a personal matter. I'm playing arsonist with the last of my bridges. If it goes wrong I don't want the rest of you getting hurt."

Joey had no answer to this. He was silent for the rest of the trip back. He felt there was something he should say, some gesture he should make, but he had no idea what that might be, so he stayed silent.

OOOOOOOOOO

"I don't trust him. I'm used to him being secretive, but this is too much." Goliath paced back and forth across the living room in her apartment.

"Calm down big guy," Elisa sat tensely on the edge of the couch. His mood was infectious. "He told you why he isn't answering your questions."

"He believes I would give away his schemes," Goliath gritted. "In some ways he is as bad as Xanatos ever was."

"Don't you think you're overstating it a bit? Granted, he's paranoid, but maybe he has reason to be." Goliath stopped and stared at her a moment. "I'm not defending him. I want to know more too, but think about it. Has he done anything against our clan?"

"No," Goliath admitted.

"Have his secrets put us at any risk?"

"Not that I know of," he sighed.

"He isn't the only one who keeps secrets you know." Goliath nodded. "I agree we should press for details though. If he's making plans that involve the Illuminati then I doubt he's as in control of the situation as he wants us to believe." She stood and moved towards him, smiling. "But that can wait for a while." With one smooth motion she shoved the spaghetti strings of her dress off her shoulders and let the garment fall to the floor.

Goliath caught his breath as she moved into his arms and kissed him passionately, pressing her naked body against him. It was a most effective way of ending a conversation.

OOOOOOOOOO

"It's not good enough Hunter."

"What?" He looked up in surprise from the computer with which Talon had provided him. On the screen, the time-table for the planned raid was laid out before him. The actual information about the raid was limited, and he had had to make educated guesses about most of it. He was so involved in the details of the project that he at first failed to notice the others entering the room.

"I said it's not good enough. Not for us." Joey Cowen placed a hand on Hunter's shoulder, and pulled him around. All of his clan was present, even Robin, floating in mid air off in one corner.

"We've placed a lot of trust in you Hunter," Magdalena said solemnly. "I think it's time you trusted us."

"Like I told Joey. It's not a matter of trust."

"Yes it is," Felix insisted. "We trusted you in the field with our lives and you trusted us. Why is this different?"

"You've done well by us so far Hunter," Joey continued. "You've gotten us out of some tight spots. You've trusted us with your life before. Trust us now. Will you tell us what's going on?"

"All right," Hunter agreed reluctantly after a moment of silence. "I'll tell you."

"Yes," Joey agreed, "but not now. Goliath and Talon need to be here. They deserve the truth as well after all they've done for us. I'll make the arrangements for tomorrow night." He looked around. "Here's as good a place as any. You can use the time to sweep it for bugs if you like." He was only half joking.

Hunter nodded his agreement. "You are right of course. We will meet here tomorrow night."

OOOOOOOOOO

"Who do you need me to find?" Bluestone asked, curious in spite of himself.

"My brother."

Matt was silent a moment. "I take it there are complications or you wouldn't be turning to me. He's missing?"

"Not exactly," Duval sighed. "I'm going to have to tell you certain things tonight that are normally beyond the scope of most members at your level."

"That has to be one of the ground rules." Duval looked at him sharply. "I'll ask what questions need to be asked. I expect honest, complete answers. That means no evasions and no equivocations. Finding someone the Illuminati with all its resources can't find will be hard enough, but I won't be able to do it at all if I start out with a handicap, all right?"

Slowly, Duval nodded. He knew Bluestone was right, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "Agreed." He took a moment to organize his thoughts. "The best place to begin I suppose, is at the beginning." He settled back to begin his story.

"For me, you might say the Illuminati is the family business. I was raised to it, as was my father. I was learning the way of things when I was a teenager." He paused, the memories flooding back and momentarily overwhelming him.

"My father had a friend in the society, a protg of sorts. They were very close and there was talk of him succeeding my father when the time came. When I was twenty-two there was a terrible accident. The man and his wife were killed in a car wreck. They left behind a baby boy. Since we had been so close to his parents my father felt a responsibility to care for the boy. We took him in and raised him as part of the family. My father went so far as to formally adopt him."

Bluestone was beginning to get the picture. The baby was the 'brother' that Duval spoke of. What had happened over the succeeding thirty-odd years would probably make for a very interesting story indeed.

"I doted on Curtis, treating him as if he were actually my little brother. Like me, he was brought into the family business. He learned fast and showed great promise. He started running errands for us when he was still a teenager. We trusted him with messages and deliveries at first and then with more difficult and dangerous tasks as he grew into the job.

"He became one of our most skilled operatives. By the time he was thirty he was working almost independently of us. His loyalty was beyond question, so we allowed him, perhaps, more autonomy than we should have, but he never disappointed us." Duval stopped speaking, and looked down at his hands.

"Until" Mat prompted. Duval looked up, his eyes sad and distant.

"Two years ago he was on assignment in Germany. He was tracking rumors of strange events. We believed they were related to certain mystical artifacts recently uncovered in an archeological dig. To this day, we're not sure what happened. He disappeared for almost a week amid wild stories surrounding some of the artifacts and a trio of women, powerful magic users. Triplets according to the report, they were identical accept for the color of their hair, and witnesses claim they had abilities that, frankly no one believed. Curtis apparently fought with them over the artifacts, but beyond that we know nothing.

"We feared the worst when he failed to return, but we had the artifacts and they were a tremendous find. They were taken to an Illuminati controlled laboratory for study. We had begun to discover some remarkable things about them."

"You had started to discover some of the secrets behind real magic," Bluestone interpreted. Duval nodded.

"As I said, exciting stuff. Then Curtis turned up at the lab. He used his security clearance to gain access to the artifacts and remove them. He also destroyed all the records regarding our findings to that point. Then he vanished again."

Bluestone had to carefully school his expression. Pieces were falling into place that Duval didn't and couldn't know about. The Weird Sisters. It had to be them. The question was what was so important about the artifacts that they would show themselves like that, especially to the Illuminati?

Whatever was going on, it didn't bode well for Curtis Duval. "Have you found any trace of him since? Two years is a long time."

Duval sighed. "We have had er, visits from him from time to time. He has interfered with certain top secret projects."

"Which projects?" When Duval hesitated Mat said, "Let me rephrase that. Did all of the projects have a common goal or thread, like maybe magic?" This seemed to set better with the older man, who nodded.

"Yes, all of them involved magic or items that were alleged to have magical properties. We've taken extra precautions around all such projects, but he has still managed to surprise us on several occasions." This admission came out slowly, almost reluctantly as if Duval were embarrassed by the incidents. Which, Matt supposed, he was.

Matt thought long and hard about the next question, but finally decided he had to ask. "Did he make use of magic himself or have magical help?"

Duval considered a moment and then shook his head. "No, we thought so once or twice, but in each case we were able to reconstruct what he did. He's very clever, but he's no sorcerer."

"What about places he's connected to? People he might tap to help him? Does he have any family, blood relatives I mean?"

"No," Duval shook his head. "We considered that. His mother grew up in a Catholic run orphanage. His grandparents are dead and his father, Joshua Hunter, was an only child. He had no close friends outside the society, and very little in the way of outside interests."

Duval's concentration was fixed on remembering the details. He failed to notice the way Matt stiffened when the name Hunter was mentioned. He quickly forced himself to relax.

"Do you have any ideas about his current whereabouts?"

"We think we do, and that is part of the problem. We have been keeping tabs on a multinational corporation called Malon Inc. Yesterday one of his aliases turned up on a security background check. Malon was asking questions about him. We don't know what his connection to them is. We've never gotten an agent into one of their secure facilities. We also don't know what he's planning, but with their resources he could pose a serious threat to the Illuminati."

_And the problem is?_ Matt just managed to keep himself from saying it out loud. "Perhaps I should start checking up on Malon then. If you've been watching them, then you no doubt have files on them, however limited."

"Naturally." Duval handed over a manila envelope. "I suspected you might want to start there. That also contains background information you may find useful in tracking him.

"We have plans for Malon though, that will hopefully disrupt Curtis' latest venture, but perhaps if you're able to determine what his involvement with them entails you might find a clue to his next move. He might even leave some trace we can follow when he bolts."

"What plans?"

"We're aware that Malon is in violation of a number of federal laws. Keeping an arsenal of illegal weapons, use of dangerous illegal chemicals, that sort of thing. That's all we've been able to learn though. Thats nothing compared to what we suspect, but theres no proof as yet. We've arranged for the FBI and DEA to pay a visit to one of their facilities."

Matt nodded. It was clear he'd need to talk to his partner and her friends. Things were coming to a head very quickly. "How soon? I'll want to make a few preparations."

"Three nights. The FBI will have all the warrants together by then. We have to do this nice and legal after all."

"Good, that should give me the time I need."

Duval dropped him off at the precinct house. Although Matt had the night off, as he confirmed inside, the station was the logical place to begin making his background checks.

There was a lot of information about Malon, but there was nothing that pointed to the kind of secret projects that Matt knew them to be involved in. There was no reference to genetic engineering. On the surface Malon was a multinational company with a wide variety of business interests. It owned a small but well regarded software company and a pharmaceutical company. Malon manufactured surgical implements and lab equipment, and it held interests in several private hospitals.

That last bit might lead somewhere, Matt thought as he perused the information. He spent an hour making some routine inquiries. As he had expected, they led nowhere.

_Okay, time to go to the source. _He picked up the phone and began to dial Elisa's number. Then he remembered her threat. She had plans tonight and she had told him not to interrupt for anything less than a 50 ft. tall Oberon tap dancing in Time Square. Matt shuddered at the image as he put down the phone, then he shoved away from his desk and got up.

OOOOOOOOOO

The Labyrinth was not one of his favorite places. Talon had succeeded in making it a safe haven for the city's homeless, he kept the criminal element residing there to a minimum, and he managed to keep his clan a secret while doing it. For all that the Labyrinth was a success though, Matt found the tunnels oppressive. He wasn't sure whether it was being underground, the depressing circumstances of the people, or some combination of factors. Bottom line, the place made him uncomfortable.

He hid it with practiced ease though as he approached Hunter's quarters. The clones had smiled and greeted him warmly when he arrived. Hunter's clan, Matt knew, might well be a very different matter. He barely knew them, and he doubted they would take well to the idea of their boss being interrogated.

Matt was met by a female who identified herself as Ellie. "You're Bluestone aren't you? Maza's partner?" He nodded. "What do you want?"

"I want to speak to Hunter. Tell him it's important." His eyes moved around the room and saw the door to a smaller, private room. He could hear the beeps from a computer at work and the sound of typing beyond the open door.

"What's so important you come around at this time of night?"

"It's about his plans for Malon." He sighed when she didn't budge. Raising his voice slightly he said. "Just tell Curtis Duval that his brother sends his regards." The sound of typing stopped immediately. Ellie didn't notice at first and just looked confused.

"Who?"

"It's okay Ellie. I'll talk to him." Bluestone had never met Hunter, only heard of him. Elisa had told him Hunter was a lion mutate, but that did nothing to prepare him for the figure that emerged from the small office. Ellie nodded and withdrew.

Hunter was easily seven feet tall and as muscular as Goliath. His golden fur and thick reddish-brown mane made for an odd contrast that only served to draw attention to the face, a face with yellow eyes that almost glowed and a mouth full of sharp carnivore teeth.

"Come in detective, have a seat." Bluestone entered the office and glanced around. It was spartan, as he had expected. No adornments, no mementos, nothing that didnt wasnt directly related to the mutate leaders work. A modular computer desk with a powerful desktop machine, a sturdy wooden chair in front of it and a threadbare couch against the wall were the only furniture the room contained.

Matt sat on the couch across from Hunter. He wasn't a small man himself, but he found he had to look up to meet Hunter's gaze. A gaze that unnerved him with it's directness. "So," Hunter began, "how is Tom?"

"Worried and confused actually." The bluntness of the statement and the obvious sincerity caused Hunter to deflate visibly. "He doesn't understand what you're doing."

"It's better that way."

"No. It isn't. You're forcing his hand in this." Hunter refused to meet his gaze. "This makes no sense. He told me that for nearly twenty years your loyalty was beyond question. He thinks you betrayed him."

"And what do you think? Let's hear from someone else who knows what goes bump in the night."

Bluestone wasn't buying it. "I think you're using him." Matt accused. "He said that the raid on Malon is going down in three days. That's what you want isn't it?" Matt demanded.

"No, but it's what needs to happen." He turned away, his voice bitter and full of regret. "You have no idea how hard this is for me."

"So tell me. We're both Illuminati. We know what the Society is about. What's more, we both know about the gargoyles, the Fay, and the rest. I want to understand what's going on. So does your brother."

Hunter was silent for a long time. Finally, he said. "I hate repeating myself Bluestone. So, come back tomorrow night with your partner and Goliath. I'll tell you everything then. When you know, you'll have to decide whether or not to tell Tom. I'll leave it up to you."

Matt stared incredulously at him. For a moment he watched closely for any bit of body language or expression that might indicate Hunter was holding back or lying, but the only impression he got was one of infinite weariness. Hunter wasn't faking it, Matt was sure. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. He couldn't think of anything to say. Instead he rose and left without another word.

OOOOOOOOOO

Ellie found Joey Cowen standing guard at one of the entrances to the main hall. It was referred to as the main hall, but in truth it was or had been a parking place for heavy construction equipment dating back to when Cyberbiotics had built the place. The Hall usually didn't require much guarding. It was the main gathering area for the shelter's homeless population, sort of a town square. Occasionally there would be a disagreement or scuffle over possessions, or the limited supplies, but that sort of thing had almost stopped completely now that the Xanatos-Renard Foundation to Help the Homeless was funneling supplies to the shelter. Nevertheless Talon maintained a guard there, just in case.

"I thought Felix was on guard here tonight?" Joey turned to look at her, and chuckled.

"He is, and so is Delihla." He smiled indulgently. "I thought I'd better cover for him."

"Is he still chasing after her?"

"Actually, I think she let him catch her. They've been sneaking off together the last couple of nights." Ellie blinked. This was news to her.

"Are you sure?" she asked skeptically.

He nodded. "Tigers have an excellent sense of smell. Her scent is distinctive, and Felix was reeking of it last night."

Ellie shook her head in amazement. "Well good for them. I'm glad someone is happy."

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Matt Bluestone came by to see Hunter." For a moment Joey drew a blank, then he remembered.

"Maza's partner? What does he want?"

"I don't know, but I heard him call Hunter by another name. He called him Curtis Duval. Does that mean anything to you?"

"No," he answered slowly, "but he did promise us answers tomorrow night. I guess he'll just have one more thing to tell us."

"You're taking this sort of lightly aren't you? He told us his name was Hunter. He also swore that he'd never lie to us."

"True, he tells us when he can't tell us the entire truth." From the beginning Hunter had told them he would always tell them the truth or tell them he couldn't answer. "It's not that I take it lightly Ellie, it's just that Hunter has always had a good reason for what he's done. Maybe Duval is some alias he's used, and Bluestone is just telling him that he knows. Did he say anything else?"

"Hunter sort of made it clear he wanted to be alone with him."

Nodding, Joey reassured her. "Don't worry. We'll get answers tomorrow night or we'll know why." There was a certainty to his tone that Ellie found both comforting and at the same time worrisome. She nodded and gave him her most confident smile.

OOOOOOOOOO

Central Park 8:00 A.M.

Matt had called Elisa twenty minutes after sunrise. Although Goliath was sleeping by then Elisa had not been up and around. In fact she had been decidedly surly when he called. She had been looking forward to a few hours sleep since she had gotten so little the night before. Her annoyance was forgotten though when Matt told her about the visit from the head of the Illuminati and the high points of what Duval had shared with him.

"The Weird Sisters? Are you sure?" Elisa sounded incredulous, and worried.

"He only provided a vague second-hand description, but yeah, it sounds like them." He ran a hand through his red hair and looked around suspiciously. There was no one nearby, but that didn't mean anything with the Illuminati.

"I mean he said three women, powerful magic users. They were identical except for their hair color."

Elisa nodded. "Okay, that sounds like them. How did Hunter get away from them, let alone get away with these artifacts your source mentioned?"

"I don't know, but he has promised us answers tonight. Bring Goliath and we'll all find out together."

"What about Hunter? What will you tell your source?"

"Hunter said he would leave that up to me." He paused, unsure of how to proceed. "I just don't know. The involvement of Oberon's Children complicates matters. You know better than I do how dangerous they can be. You once told me that Anansi and Raven are completely manipulative, even sadistic. What were the sisters like?"

Elisa thought back on all she had heard of them and of her own encounters with them, and shuddered. "Probably the worst of the lot. Well, the worst not counting Oberon."

Matt nodded. "I think Hunter may have good reasons for what he's doing."

"What do you mean?"

He shook his head. "I haven't worked it out in my head yet. I'll have some questions for Hunter tonight though."

OOOOOOOOOO

MALON INC. HEADQUARTERS

"Progress report Mr. Allen." The thin almost skeletal president of the company regarded his personal assistant impatiently.

"Yes sir. The losses we've suffered recently, while bad enough in terms of money and material, pale in comparison to the security breaches. The primary goal of the raids was almost certainly to free the test subjects, but we've discovered that in each case there was a download of files before the facility was torched."

"How bad? And why did it take so long to discover the loss?" Despite his age, the president of Malon Inc. radiated strength and authority. Allen always felt nervous when confronting him, reminded, on some level, of a poisonous serpent.

"It was very well covered. In addition to the fire, a virus was released into our system in the New Jersey facility. Straightening out the damage it caused also served to cover their tracks."

"Whose tracks?"

"The attacks were led by the escaped test subject." Allen shuffled through his papers anticipating the next request. "We have no information on him. He appears to have been a petty thief and drifter. What ID he carried identified him as one Michael Jones. We have run background checks on him, but it is such a common name we have found nothing conclusive."

"He was present for each of the attacks?"

"Y-yes sir."

"Then I would say he is considerably more than a petty thief and drifter. Our plans have been set back, perhaps compromised completely. That cannot be allowed Mr. Allen."

"Yes sir. We have taken security precautions at the next most likely target. Based on his pattern to date he will probably hit the facility soon in a guerilla style raid. We believe he is growing cautious though. Frankly sir, we expected him before this."

"You are sure we are ready for him? I need not remind you Mr. Allen we are at a critical juncture. We can have no further 'set backs'. I would move the operation entirely if there were time, but there isn't."

"We believe we have anticipated every contingency sir. He can't approach the site covertly without tripping some alarm. Security has been doubled and everything entering and leaving the facility is triple checked. The staff are being housed on site for the duration."

"And you are sure you've considered every option, every approach?"

"I feel confident we have sir."

"Very good Mr. Allen," the old man rasped. "Pray you are right."

Allen nodded briefly and retreated. He only relaxed when the door was closed between himself and his employer. He shuddered, The old man never failed to give him the creeps. _If the pay weren't so good I'd be out of here in a heartbeat. _He considered a moment. _If anything goes wrong I might not have a choice in the matter._

OOOOOOOOOO

When Allen had left the president turned to look at the only object in his office that might be considered decoration. The painting of the ancient city was very detailed. It became more detailed as one looked at it. The image shifted from the general cityscape to the oldest quarter where the city's temples had been.

The few visitors who saw the painting thought it was Cairo or perhaps Memphis. None of them realized it was a painting of a city that had been razed more than two thousand years ago.

"Ah, for the good old days." He concentrated and the scene shifted again. "Time was when I could have simply killed him for such incompetence." He smiled for the first time in a very long time. "Soon the good old days will return and people will return to the old ways whether they wish to or not." The scene settled on the grandest temple in the city. For a minute he just admired the image.

"I think I'll have it rebuilt." Satisfied with that decision, he turned to business. The image of the city faded to be replaced by an image of a private office halfway around the world. The inhabitant of the office turned to look at him.

"It's about time." The man in the picture turned to face him. "I've been watching Moloch, and I'm not happy with your progress."

If his superior's disapproval disturbed him, Moloch did not allow it to show. "There have been minor setbacks, but the project will not suffer too much. You will have your army of mutates. We are close to being able to produce them in great quantities and control them completely."

"Why do I doubt that?"

"Perhaps I should borrow Sevarius from you. He has such a fine track record when it comes to controlling his creations, as I believe you've learned. The minions in London are putting on an impressive show of disobedience."

Maddoc's temper flared. "Mind your place Moloch, and your tongue. You serve me. If you fail to produce the foot soldiers I require you will suffer for it. Do not doubt that."

Moloch bowed his head. "Yes Lord Maddoc. I obey. You will have your army. I promise."

Maddoc regarded him coldly. "You have just bet your life on that Moloch." With that, his image faded and the picture of ancient Carthage returned. Moloch scowled at the image, his mood ruined.

OOOOOOOOOO

THE BROCKEN, GERMANY

"Are you sure you can trust that one Maddoc?" Maeve leaned against the door to Maddoc's private chamber looking skeptical and worried.

"Of course I don't trust him," he assured her. "But, he was the only one with the right set of talents for the job."

"Never liked him myself. He is too much ruled by his passions, and his idea of fun Well, he was always a cruel one. More so than any other Unseelie."

"I know, but he was still the best one for the job. Would you have had me put Loki in charge of the operation?"

Maeve snorted, then laughed out right. "Loki in a three piece suit, running a board meeting. Now that's a sight I wouldn't mind seeing actually."

The Unseelie lord allowed himself a slight smile at the incongruous image. It quickly faded. "None of us will have anything to laugh about if he fails. The loss of the clone and the data from the Boston lab set us back by months if not years. Thanks to the efficiency of Moloch's 'creation' the only thing we know for certain is that it is nearly impossible to clone Fay."

Maddoc had not been pleased when his scientists had told him that the Fay genetic structure was so malleable that any attempt to change it artificially or accelerate growth caused it to break down completely.

He grimaced at the memory. It had been Sevarius who had discovered this distressing fact. He had seen the potential for genetic weapons immediately. Given time he might have developed an artificial plague that would threaten all of the Fay. For the right price he would have used the knowledge against Maddoc.

Unfortunately Sevarius' mind was too great a resource to waste. Instead, the Unseelie Lord had been forced to alter the scientists' memory. Sevarius was now working on a new project for him, something that did not involve Fay DNA. It was unfortunate, but necessary. Maddoc was certain the greedy geneticist could have managed a successful cloning. His replacements certainly had been a disappointment.

Maddoc had still been masquerading as Nicholas Moddox at the time of the break in. The guards and scientists had all been fired. Maddoc would have preferred to kill them all personally for their failure, but at the time it hadn't been an option. He still wasn't sure how the mutate had done it, but all the data about the cloning project was simply gone. Even the backup disks were blank, wiped as if by magic.

He had considered that it might indeed be magic, but the clone's control of her powers was too unpredictable. She couldn't have managed to wipe the computer's memory without doing a lot of collateral damage. Whatever the events that led them to the current sorry state of affairs, there remained the inescapable fact that a key part of the Unseelie agenda depended on Moloch.

NEXT: A HUNTER'S TALE


End file.
